Cushioned connection for vehicle construction



3mm 10, 1924, Y I

. A. F. MASURY ET AL CUSHIONED CONNECTION FOR VEHICLE CONSTRUCTION- Fil ed Feb. 8, 1922 Patented June 10, 1924.

main

umrao STATES PATENT orrice.

ALFRED F. MASURY AND AUGUST H. LEIPERT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.. ASSIGNORS TO INTERNATIONAL MOTOR COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE CUSHIONED CONNECTION FOR VEHICLE CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed February 8, 1922. Serial No. 534,881.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ALFRED F. MASURY and AUGUST H. LEIPERT, citizens of the United States, residing, respectively, in the borough of Manhattan and in the borough of Queens of the city of New York, in the State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cushioned Connections for Vehicle Construction, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part hereof.

In Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,400,563, dated December. 20, 1921, there is disclosed a non-metallic connection for the metallic parts of' a motor vehicle. This connection is of a yielding character and in its preferred form is of rubber. The present invention relates to a connection of the same general character except that it is proposed to associate with the non-metallic material constituting the connection, metallic spring elements in one form or another which will supplement the resilient action of the non-metallic material. While the connection, as such, remains essentially of a non-metallic character in that the two metallic parts of the vehicle to be connected do not transmit their stresses through a metal to metal connection it may not be found objectionable in some forms of the improved construction to permit the metallic spring elements to be in contact with one, or even both of the two metallic parts to be connected. In any case, the connection is not of a metallic character since metal is not anchored to metal. The metallic spring elements which are associated with the nonmetallic connection serve, in the present construction, as reinforcing elements and contribute some share towards the resilient properties of the connection. In the preferred form it is proposed to mold the sup plement metallic spring elements within the body of the non-metallic material exposing, in some instances, more or less of the metal of the spring elements.

Reference is now to be had to the accompanying drawing for a detailed description of embodiments of the invention in which:

Figure 1 is a View in side-elevation of an improved connection as applied to the spring of a motor vehicle the housing belng broken away in the interest of clearness.

Figures 2, 3 and 4 are detailed views in vertical section through the improved. connection with different forms of metallic spring elements associated with the non-metallic material.

As shown in Figure 1 it may be supposed that the side frame member a of a motor vehicle is one of the metallic elements thereof which is to be connected to and supported on another metallic element such as the spring I). In accordance with the invention shown in the patent hereinbefore referred to the connection between these metallic elements is of a non-metallic character, which is to say, that the actual stresses from one to another are not transmitted by metal parts anchored to said elements. The present connection is non-metallic in the same respect except that whereas the aforegoing patent discloses specifically a nonmetallic connection formed wholly of nonmetallic material, such as rubber, in the presentcase it is proposed to associate with the non-metallic material metallic spring elements which will reinforce the said nonmetallic material, in a sense, and contribute to the elastic properties of the connection taken as a whole. That is to say, the metallic re-enforcing elements are associated with the blocks in such manner as to most effectively resist those major stresses which 'are the resultants of the various stresses set up in the blocks during operation of the vehicle. To this end, while the connection is shown as including a block 0 of non-metallic material such as rubber, this block may havemoulded therein coiled springs d d and (Z or any one of them. The end of the spring I) may extend into the form of block illustrated although in other embodiments it is proposed to employ a plurality of separate blocks which engage the spring. The block 0 is confined within a housing a secured to the frame member a by means of a cap a which is bolted to the housing. Seats on and an may be formed in the housing and the cap respectively to hold the block against displacement w1th respect thereto. If desired, metal seats 6' for the block 0 may likewise be carried with the spring 6 although the invention 1s not to be limited to the use of any such auxiliary seats separate from the spring leaves. Figure 2 shows, in its specific embod1ment,a

shown in the block as extending downwardly from the underside of the spring. The

other spring d may extend in line with the spring and be useful in resisting elonation ofthe spring and in transmitting driving forces for the vehicle from the spring to the housing a.

Uther forms of springs, by Way-of example, are shown in Figures 3 and 4 as being moulded in the block C, C. In Figure 3 separate flat springs D are moulded in different portions of the block 0 while in Figure 4 a single flat spring D is so shaped and disposed within the block C as to perform the functions desired of it. It appears from Figures 2 and 4 that there is no objection in the improved construction to having the portion of the supplemental metallic spring elements exposed at the face of the block and such exposed portions may, in fact, contact with one or both of the metal parts to be connected. This does not change the nonmetallic character of the connection since the stresses between the two metallic parts are not transmitted by mechanical elements which are anchored thereto.

It is possible that metallic spring elements for the purpose of supplementing the resilient properties of the improved connection may be associated therewith without being actually imbedded in the non-metallic memes,

element but the illustrated arrangement is preferable since the metallic elements do not only contribute to the resilient properties but also serve as reinforcements for the nonmetallic material. It may be desirable in designing the spring elements to employ metal whose modulus of elasticity does not differ too radically from the modulus of elasticity of the non-metallic material.

We claim as our invention:.

1. In combination with the frame and spring of a motor vehicle, a housing secured to the frame into which the spring extends, non-metallic yielding material confined within the housing and engaging the end of the spring, and comprising a connection therefor to the frame, and resilient reenforcing members moulded within the material atpredetermined points to resist resultant major stresses impressed thereon by the spring and frame.

2. As an article of manufacture, a cushion connection between the frame and leaf spring of a motor vehicle comprising a block of non-metallic yielding material into which extends an end of the leaf spring and having resilient metallic reenforcing members moulded within the material at predetermined points about the end of the spring to resist resultant major stresses transmitted therethrough along different lines.

This specification signed this 1st day of February, A. l). 1922.

ALFRED r. Master. anensrrn. winner. 

